Scenes from Tehran Tuesday of bearded Iranian youth swarming over the walls of the British embassy evoked memories of the 1979-81 hostage crisis that created the image of Iran as a pariah state. But the incidents vary in ways that are more worrisome for international peace than the seizure of the U.S. embassy by radical … Continue reading “Iran’s Growing Isolation a Dubious Win for the West”

The forced resignation of Britain’s defense minister, Liam Fox, has opened up a window into the way foreign policy in the “free world” is made – and a very revealing window it is. At the center of the scandal that led to Fox’s ouster is his “best man,” and “very good friend” Adam Werritty, a … Continue reading “The Sins of Liam Fox”

Of the many revelations and questions still unresolved following the recent riots in Britain, a novel yet not altogether surprising thread has emerged but has hardly been noticed by the mainstream media: These riots were not dominated, driven nor taken advantage of by angry, ghettoized, Shariah-demanding Islamists. Much to the chagrin, we can assume, of … Continue reading “Muslims Smash Right-Wing Stereotypes”

As the usual suspects started howling for Western intervention in the Libyan revolution – in the name of “humanitarianism,” of course – the objects of their concern made it clear they didn’t want or need any such “help.” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates was right on the mark when he described this howling as nothing … Continue reading “Brits Bollix Benghazi Caper”

So the Five Eyes‘ daisy chain is alive and well. I encountered this at first hand with my own application under Canada’s Access to Information Act (ATIA), submitted in December 2006 and documented elsewhere. In summary, after a hideous delay not countenanced by the framers of the Act, I got 73 pages of redacted rubbish. … Continue reading “The Five Eyes’ Daisy Chain”

The British government will reportedly pay millions in compensation to seven British nationals who were unlawfully “rendered” to U.S.-run prisons and tortured with the cooperation of British intelligence. The British press is reporting that ministers and the security services appear to have decided that exposure of thousands of documents in open court was a risk … Continue reading “Britain to Settle Rendition, Torture Case for Millions”

Of all of the sources of strategic delusion and political illusion today, nuclear weapons undoubtedly make the most prodigious contribution to hypocrisy and useless expense. This certainly is true for Britain, which is set to make major decisions on military expenditure this week. It is expected to avoid a decision on its largest new military … Continue reading “Nuclear Armament Still Our Central Issue”

The relationship between Western Europe and the colonies that became the United States was complicated from the beginning, when the North American settlements were mere appendages of the European powers, and were drawn into their conflicts – King William III’s and Queen Anne’s wars, the French and Indian war involving the Iroquois, and then the … Continue reading “US Could Be Alone as Europe Turns Inward”

Updated at 7:50 p.m. EDT, July 19, 2010
An attack in northern Iraq killed one Briton and as many as three other foreign nationals. At least 17 Iraqis were killed and 55 more were wounded in that attack and in other violence across the country. Meanwhile, Ayad Allawi outlined his plans for the new government should he become the next prime minister. He also met with Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who blamed Iraq’s security woes on the United States, during a trip to Damascus.